The Four Faces of Homelessness Overcome: Transitional, Episodic, Chronic & Hidden
Written by Andrew Funk
First of all, you need to define what type of homelessness you are referring to because it’s much more than an individual suffering from substance abuse and mental health issues.
“The main reason people become homeless is because they cannot afford rent any more or they are no longer welcome to live in the place they call home.”
1) Work instability or lack of funds: A lack of income due to a low salary or too much debt makes it impossible to continue paying rent at the same price as before. Even worse, when an individual or family is forced to leave that home, they often don’t get their deposit returned and don’t have the economic resources to cover a 2-3 month deposit as well as the first month to enter a new home, so they get blackballed from the normal housing market, which only leaves the option to rely on friends, family and strangers. Once that network has been burned, which doesn’t take too long, these individuals and families end up in hostels and motels as well as renting rooms without contracts leaving them without any legal rights. Once these options have been burnt, they are forced to deal with social services and enter a long waiting list to enter social housing, which means vehicles and tents become the next best adobe before being forced to sleep under bridges, in parks and in the street.
2) No funds at all: Unemployment leads to the same downward spiral as a lack of job stability or lack of funds.
The only force that keeps individuals and families away from this downfall is having a strong network of friends and family that can keep them afloat until they increase the income again. Some people fall into the trap of unhealthy relationships with undesirable boyfriends or girlfriends to stay out of the streets.
Uncertainty and timing play a key role as well as patience. This stress leads to reduced health for everyone included, but may allow the individuals and families to bounce back on their feet.
Now that you have a little more insight on how people become homeless, it’s time to learn about the four different types of homelessness (transitional, episodic, chronic and hidden) so you can address individuals and families according to their situation instead of general assumptions fueled by mass media and social media.
Transitional Homelessness
Maria Cruz successfully overcame transitional homelessness during COVID19 thanks to our Helpline, Voices & HELP program as well as the suport and training provided by IEBS Digital School and IBM SkillsBuild.
What is transitional homelessness?
Simply stated, an individual or group of people who are experiencing homelessness due to a significant change or crisis in their life i.e. divorce, death of a loved one, health related issues and losing one’s job. This type of homelessness is often a common, silent step back into a normal lifestyle, which goes unheard many times due to the sense of failure, helplessness, pride and embarrassment experienced by a person experiencing transitional homelessness.
People experiencing episodic homelessness have the least amount of knowledge of the assistance and empowerment-based resources for the homeless community and waste a lot of time trying to figure out how to get the right help.
How can you approach someone experiencing transitional homelessness?
Unless that person tells you, it’ll be very difficult to address this issue let alone help him or her. People experiencing transitional homelessness tend to hold onto their previous habits more and do their best to pretend that everything is ok. Same clothes, same routines, different smile…
“First ask if the person is aware that he or she is experiencing homelessness. Then ask how he or she imagines improving his or her situation.Finally, invite that person to contact Homeless Entrepreneur or other organizations providing support that could empower them.”
We recommend giving every single individual the same level of respect and love no matter what crisis s/he may be facing.
The first question should be “How are you doing?”
The second is “would you like to discuss it?”
If the person chooses to open up, which s/he isn’t obliged to do, please listen to his or her story carefully. When it is your turn to speak, we recommend asking questions to confirm the veracity of the story and understand his or her current situation.
Please do not make the mistake of trying to save someone’s life in your first interaction. You wouldn’t like it if someone pretended to fix your life in a conversation and the reality is that it’s not even possible, so don’t try to!
We strongly recommend you inviting the person experiencing transitional homelessness to contact our Helpline (+34 697 877 089) for further guidance and support. All Helpline beneficiaries are invited to share their story through our Voices program, so they can improve their chances of connecting with our community to improve their situation. All Voices beneficiaries are eligible to apply for our HELP program to receive intense support which lasts up to 9 months, which aims to help them become active, working citizens.
Amongst the resources and opportunities that Homeless Entrepreneur provides thanks to our community of donors and network support are free IBM SkillsBuild courses; our Voices program to share their story and improve their chances of connecting with our community to improve their situation; and the possibility of applying for the HELP program to become an active, working citizen again.
Episodic Homelessness
Marco Robinson successfully overcame episodic homelessness as a child and is currently an Award Winning Entrepreneur & Business Coach.
What is episodic homelessness?
In other words, an individual or group of people who are experiencing homelessness at specific times during the year, but not year round, due to seasonal work or unstable jobs. This type of homelessness is often an unrecognized, frustrating step back into a normal lifestyle, which isn’t respected many times due to the popular belief that season workers and people with unstable jobs are lazy and don’t want to find other work. Many legal and illegal migrant workers become the brunt of political disputes found in the news, social media and social gatherings.
People experiencing episodic homelessness have greater knowledge of the assistance-based resources for the homeless community and optimize them accordingly. Empowerment-based resources tend to be unidentified, but would be used if made available.
How can you approach someone experiencing episodic homelessness?
Unless that person tells you, it’ll be challenging to address this issue let alone help him or her. People experiencing episodic homelessness may have a harder time holding on to their previous habits or let some of them going during these periods of homelessness and may not accept they are homeless because they feel more connected with their lifestyle when they are doing well. Similar clothes, similar routines, different smile…
“Make sure you are in the right state of mind to speak with someone who is feeling ashamed, guilty and embarrassed. Prepare for mood swings from someone experiencing episodic homelessness because they are scared, and many times don’t know how to recognize help. Don’t call them out on their situation. Remember, a smile is a great first interaction. Let them know you offer friendship and break the ice with a small gesture like inviting them for coffee or tea during a genuine conversation.”
We recommend giving every single individual the same level of respect and love no matter what crisis s/he may be facing.
The first question should be “How are you doing?”
The second is “would you like to discuss it?”
If the person chooses to open up, which s/he isn’t obliged to do, please listen to his or her story carefully. When it is your turn to speak, we recommend asking questions to confirm the veracity of the story and understand his or her current situation.
Please do not make the mistake of trying to save someone’s life in your first interaction. You wouldn’t like it if someone pretended to fix your life in a conversation and the reality is that it’s not even possible, so don’t try to!
We strongly recommend you inviting the person experiencing episodic homelessness to contact our Helpline (+34 697 877 089) for further guidance and support.
Amongst the resources and opportunities that Homeless Entrepreneur provides thanks to our community of donors and network support are free IBM SkillsBuild courses; our Voices program to share their story and improve their chances of connecting with our community to improve their situation; and the possibility of applying for the HELP program to become an active, working citizen again.
After reading this section, you may ask why it sounds exactly the same as the way you communicate with someone dealing with transitional homelessness… because it is! They’re people!
Episodic homelessness is a little bit trickier than transitional homelessness, since the people experiencing this type of homelessness become a little bit number to their situation. There is still hope to improve their circumstances, but there is also a danger of deteriorated mental and physical health leading to chronic homelessness.
Chronic Homelessness
Ramon Feiner is a successful Homeless Entrepreneur who overcame 14 years of chronic homelessness in Spain thanks to our Helpline, Voices & HELP program.
What is chronic homelessness?
In lay terms, an individual or group of people who are experiencing homelessness during the year due to a lack of opportunities or inability to take advantage of them. This type of homelessness is often a desolating, unthinkable step back into a normal lifestyle, which is highly criticized due to the popular belief that people experiencing chronic homelessness have no value to add to society and only leach off of it. Many individuals facing chronic homelessness become the brunt of political disputes found in the news, social media and social gatherings. In extreme circumstances, they may die to weather and personal attacks. Chronic homelessness also shaves off years or even decades of an individual’s life. According to Care Quality Commission: The average age of death among homeless people in the UK is 47 for a man and 43 for a woman. This compares to 79.5 for men and 83.1 for women in the general population.
People experiencing chronic homelessness have a complete knowledge of the assistance-based resources for the homeless community and chose the ones that they prefer and ignore the other ones. Empowerment-based resources aren’t attractive in this case because little-to-no credibility is given to them.
How can you approach someone experiencing chronic homelessness?
It’s easier to see, but hard to address because these individuals tend to be the most visible in the street. People experiencing chronic homelessness tend to have lost most if not all of their previous habits and come to accept that their home is homelessness. Different clothes, different routines, distant smile…
“The first thing you need to do before speaking with a person suffering from chronic homelessness is observe from a distance to ensure that he or she is in the right state of mind, so you can have a proper conversation. If you decide that the person is receptive to small talk, strike up a chat and talk as long as you’d like to. If something doesn’t add up while speaking, feel free to say goodbye and wish him or her a wonderful day.”
We recommend giving every single individual the same level of respect and love no matter what crisis s/he may be facing.
The first question should be “How are you doing?”
The second is “would you like to discuss it?”
If the person chooses to open up, which s/he isn’t obliged to do, please listen to his or her story carefully. When it is your turn to speak, we recommend asking questions to confirm the veracity of the story and understand his or her current situation.
Please do not make the mistake of trying to save someone’s life in your first interaction. You wouldn’t like it if someone pretended to fix your life in a conversation and the reality is that it’s not even possible, so don’t try to!
We strongly recommend you inviting the person experiencing chronic homelessness to contact our Helpline (+34 697 877 089) for further guidance and support.
Amongst the resources and opportunities that Homeless Entrepreneur provides thanks to our community of donors and network support are free IBM SkillsBuild courses; our Voices program to share their story and improve their chances of connecting with our community to improve their situation; and the possibility of applying for the HELP program to become an active, working citizen again.
After reading this section, you may ask why it sounds exactly the same as the way you communicate with someone dealing with transitional and episodic homelessness… because it is! They’re still people!
Chronic homelessness is a much trickier than transitional and episodic homelessness, since the people experiencing this type of homelessness become a much number to their situation. There is little-to-no hope to improve their circumstances, unless emergency support and assistance-based solutions are provided. Once the individual is capable of taking control of his or her situation again, the empowerment-based solutions will play a key role in becoming active, working citizens again.
Hidden Homelessness
Andrew Funk overcame hidden homelessness in Barcelona, Spain thanks to his 35,000 contacts in social media, entrepreneurial spirit and desire to improve his own life. He created Homeless Entrepreneur to empower people made of potential out of homelessness.
What is hidden homelessness?
Hidden homelessness is exactly what it sounds like it is… hidden! This type of homelessness is a truly invisible, challenging step back into a normal lifestyle, which is extremely unknown due to its complexities. Many individuals facing hidden homelessness don’t receive the support they need because they consciously hide their situation from others. Hidden homelessness is not deemed to be problematic or an emergency, so the resources they may use to support them almost never arrive as quickly as they are needed. Hidden homelessness is also hidden because circumstances like coach surfing or staying with friends, family and stranger due to a lack of money isn’t considered to be homeless by mainstream society.
People experiencing hidden homelessness have little-to-no knowledge of the assistance-based resources for the homeless community because they do not see themselves as homeless nor are accepted as homeless by the main actors supporting the homeless community, which is synonymous for people experiencing chronic homelessness. Empowerment-based resources are attractive for people suffering from this type of homelessness, but they don’t normally receive them because they aren’t identifiable.
How can you approach someone experiencing hidden homelessness?
Unless that person tells you, it’ll be impossible to address this issue let alone help him or her. People experiencing hidden homelessness are normally able to hold onto their previous habits, but may let some of them go and may not accept they are homeless because society doesn’t label them as being homeless. Similar clothes, similar routines, hidden smile…
“‘Homeless people aren’t invisible, society is blind.’ Overcoming the fear of showing your physical and emotional scars takes courage, so make sure you approach a person experiencing hidden homelessness in the same way you’d like to be treated if it was the other way around. Your first interaction should be showing true interest in their well-being because that’s what will help them become active, working citizens again.”
We recommend giving every single individual the same level of respect and love no matter what crisis s/he may be facing.
The first question should be “How are you doing?”
The second is “would you like to discuss it?”
If the person chooses to open up, which s/he isn’t obliged to do, please listen to his or her story carefully. When it is your turn to speak, we recommend asking questions to confirm the veracity of the story and understand his or her current situation.
Please do not make the mistake of trying to save someone’s life in your first interaction. You wouldn’t like it if someone pretended to fix your life in a conversation and the reality is that it’s not even possible, so don’t try to!
We strongly recommend you inviting the person experiencing chronic homelessness to contact our Helpline (+34 697 877 089) for further guidance and support.
Amongst the resources and opportunities that Homeless Entrepreneur provides thanks to our community of donors and network support are free IBM SkillsBuild courses; our Voices program to share their story and improve their chances of connecting with our community to improve their situation; and the possibility of applying for the HELP program to become an active, working citizen again.
After reading this section, you may ask why it sounds exactly the same as the way you communicate with someone dealing with transitional and episodic homelessness… because it is! They’re still people even if they are hidden!
Hidden homelessness is easier to deal with than transitional and episodic homelessness unless the person is in denial of their situation. Depending on his or her mental health, there is a lot of hope or in difference to improve their circumstances. On a positive note, both assistance and empowerment-based solutions are the most effective for the group if s/he is willing and able to accept them as an opportunity to become active, working citizens again.
We hope that this article makes it easier for you to interact with people experiencing homelessness when you have the first opportunity to have a real conversation with him or her.
Please feel free to contact us if you have any questions.
We’d love to hear stories about your interaction with the homeless people, so we can improve our understanding of it.
If you’d like to include anything to this article, please send us a message and we’ll consider doing so.
Thanks for empowering people made of potential out of homelessness with us!